Help/FAQ

Contacting Us

What are your opening hours?

Our online sales team in Hove is open 0900-1700 Mondays to Fridays and is closed on weekends and UK bank holidays.

Can I leave a telephone message out of hours?

Yes, we check all messages as soon as we arrive in the morning of our next working day and will call all UK customers back within the hour. It helps us if you also leave an e-mail address or second phone number.

Ordering From Us

Do your prices include VAT?

All prices quoted include VAT for retail customers but exclude VAT for trade customers.

How can I make an order?

We accept orders online or by phone. Unfortunately, we do not accept orders by post.

What payments do you accept?

Payment for UK orders can be made by credit/debit card (excluding American Express) or PayPal. Unfortunately, we no longer accept cheques as a form of payment.

Sending Your Order

How much are your postage & packing charges?

Please see our Delivery Information page for our most up-to-date prices for shipping in the UK, the EU and all around the world.

Can you quote for delivery charges before goods are sent?

We are happy to quote for different delivery options before confirmation of your order should you require this. Please note that we can only quote if an actual order has been placed. It is not possible to estimate the charges until the order has been packed and weighed. You do not commit yourself to acceptance until you confirm.

What is your policy regarding VAT refunds to businesses located outside the UK?

Businesses operating within the EU must quote their VAT number to qualify for removal of the VAT element of their order before despatch. Orders posted to all addresses outside the EU will have VAT removed before despatch.

What is the easiest method of payment for international orders?

The easiest method is credit card. Sorry but euros, dollars or any other foreign currency cannot be accepted. Your credit card company will convert at the prevailing rate of exchange. We cannot accept cheques or money orders drawn on foreign banks.

Despatching Your Order

How quickly will my order be despatched?

We aim to despatch your order within 2 working days of receipt. The cut off for same day despatch is normally midday but can be as early as 11am depending on our workload. After this time your order is likely to wait until the following day. It is extremely rare for orders without outstanding queries to be despatched later than 48 hours after receipt.

How quickly will my order arrive?

Royal Mail post normally arrives within two or three days and is not traceable. Two day parcel services are not ‘officially’ late until the end of the relevant day following despatch but, with a bit of persistence, can normally be traced. Please note that goods cannot be left unattended if nobody is available to take delivery.

Do you have an express delivery service?

Yes - express delivery orders will be sent out the day we receive them if placed before midday. If placed after midday they will be sent the following working day. This service does not include weekends or bank holidays. Please note that choosing this service means your order will be processed and despatched as a priority but we cannot guarantee next day delivery.

Problems With Delivery Of Your Order

What happens if my order doesn’t turn up as expected?

There are rare occasions when delivery fails to meet expectations. In these circumstances we will do our utmost to find out where the package has gone astray and keep you fully and promptly informed.

If my order has been lost do I still have to pay for it?

Don’t worry, we can send a duplicate order, credit or refund you should your order not arrive. If orders have been sent by standard post please allow two weeks for delivery, or four weeks if sent by Airmail.

What should I do if any of my goods are damaged?

Please let us know as soon as you receive your goods. We will advise the best course of action. In some circumstances we will ask for the products to be returned for inspection. There are occasions when this is not necessary.

Some very small proportion of breakages must be expected. We cannot be held responsible for negligence or improper handling on the part of the Royal Mail, Parcelforce or other delivery or handling agencies. In general if serious damage has occurred in transit, compensation can be claimed against the handler.

Questions About Stock

How high are the stock levels in your mail order dept?

Our stock levels are buoyant. We work hard to keep high stock levels and examine the sales trends of every line we carry to try and ensure maximum satisfaction. However, with the best will in the world it is not possible to keep 100% stock 100% of the time.

Are all your items exactly as they appear on your website?

A proportion of our goods are constructed of naturally occurring materials or may be handmade. We are very strict with quality control to ensure that we supply the closest match possible to our displayed products. Some small variation in colour and size should be tolerated however. Slight variations are part of the charm of hand carved and dyed bone beads and glass lamp beads for example. No two are ever identical.

What happens if you are out of stock of part of my order?

Most out of stock items are already noted on the site. Where they are not, you have ordered them and they make up an important part of your order we will try and contact you to ask if you would like to choose replacement items.

Can you inform me when goods are back in stock?

You can setup a notification on the product page. When the product comes back in stock, you will automatically receive an email.

Can you inform me when out of stock goods are likely to be available?

We may be able to give an immediate broad indication of delivery times. If your needs are very specific or urgent we are happy to provide more detailed information.

Oh Dear, I Am Not Happy

What do I do if I am not happy with something?

If something doesn’t seem right please let us know as quickly and politely as possible. We will do our best to work out how the problem occurred and to provide the swiftest possible solution.

Written criticism, (constructive or otherwise!) will be examined in detail and will always elicit an individual response. We are very happy to receive (fortunately very rare) written complaints. Please e-mail us at customercare@beadsunlimited.co.uk or write to Beads Unlimited, Stockwell Lodge Studios, Rear of 121-131 Conway Street, Hove, BN3 3LW. We know who our happy customers are because they continue to shop with us. It is always better to know who our unhappy customers are rather than have any ex-customers.